We are in the midst of a housing crisis. Local, State, and Federal officials are not meeting the moment.

The mission of the Lansing School District is to provide a high-quality education in a culturally safe and nurturing environment that supports all students to live purposeful and fulfilling lives. Providing permanently affordable housing to Lansing School District families, teachers, and staff empowers this mission and contributes to the safe and nurturing environment we want to build.

As Board Trustee I would; collaborate with stakeholders in the interest of the Lansing School District building and acquiring units of housing to provide permanently affordable housing to Lansing School District families, teachers, and staff.

Lansing Board of Education committee meetings, and sometimes regular meetings, do not meet a 21st century standard for accessibility and transparency. We need to raise the standards we expect from our democratic institutions to meet the technology of today and lower and remove barriers to participation to welcome key stakeholders into the room.

As Board Trustee I would; work to ensure all meetings of the Lansing Board of Education, including committee meetings, are video recorded, accessible to the public online, securely stored offline, and offer public participation in-person and hybrid from home.

In 2018 I left the Lansing School District as an unretained teacher. I know what it feels like to fall through the cracks and given the opportunity to review current Lansing School District teacher retention efforts I can tell you where the cracks may still exist.

As Board Trustee I would; evaluate current district teacher retention efforts and collaborate with stakeholders to strengthen the programs that work and if the need exists develop or adopt new programs or strategies to retain teachers in the Lansing School District.

Regardless of advancements in Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) there will always be jobs we need people to do. We will always need carpenters, electricians, and plumbers. We will always need teachers and health care professionals. We will always need farmers, engineers, architects, professional hair dressers, mechanics, firefighters, and culinary experts. These are not just jobs, these are the very fabric that holds our society together.

As Board Trustee I would; collaborate with stakeholders to develop and strengthen pathways to apprenticeship programs for Lansing School District students and graduates and increase opportunities for Lansing School District students to learn about the wide variety of career paths and professions that the world will always need.

The district has done great work in recent years to invest in renewable energy, at the same time there are buildings in the district that still do not have a modern HVAC systems for heating and cooling. Earlier this Spring there were classrooms in the district that reached over 84 degrees because of outdated boiler systems not equipped for the dramatic temperature swings we experienced earlier this year.

Lansing School District students, teachers, and staff deserve a safe, climate regulated learning environment.

As Board Trustee I would; advocate for modern HVAC systems in all Lansing School District buildings, support the ongoing work to build out secure entrances for all Lansing School District buildings, and support an expansion of the districts invests in renewable energy.